|
TC member #708 GOLD
I have always liked to modify cars and work on cars from the 60’s. I was really going through a rough time in 1999 after my wife became critically ill, nearly dying on the operating table and then in a coma for over a month. After she was able to go home my daughter called me one day to see if I wanted a really neat Chevelle to work on. She thought it would help keep me busy and my mind off my troubles. Well I got talked into going and taking a look by both my daughter and wife.I went to look and found it was an “ex” race car that the owner claimed had the aluminum head, 375 HP, “396” when it was built. The original motor was long gone but the car looked solid and there was no obvious rust. It had just over 41,000 miles showing, the original 12 bolt and the correct instrument cluster for a 1969 SS and all of the correct badges and interior parts. On the side of the car was “Rat Magic” and I was fairly sure it was built as an SS because why would anyone bother to make all the correct changes down to the wiring harness for a race car. I paid $3,500.00 for the car and drove it home.
I had never done anything more complex than changing brakes on a car before I started this project and as the original motor was gone I didn’t feel at all bad changing the “SS” into a pro-touring modern Chevelle. I started an internet search for car sites and found the folks at Team Chevelle. Over the next few years I sure got to appreciate those at Team Chevelle for their knowledge and willingness to share it. It seemed there was no question that couldn't be answered by someone on the board.
Over the years I have learned a lot about the following and installed them on the SS: Painless Wiring harness, solenoid installations and use, Vintage Air Conditioning, Sallee Chevrolet “502” crate motor, Precision Transmission 2004R, manual tranny lock-up, front brakes lock-up solenoid, c-clip eliminators, 5 row custom radiator, power seats, MSD electronics and shift light, Demon vacuum secondary carburetor, backspacing for 18 inch wheels with 45 series tires, 2 inch dropped spindles, Hotchkis upper and lower control arms in the rear, Hotchkis front sway bar, polyurethane body bushings, Koni shocks, Baer brakes, Dr. Gas X pipe and Torque Tech exhaust system, Hooker Headers, Barry Grant 250 GPH fuel pump, sumped fuel tank, 1300 watt CD/stereo system, body work and paint.
Bodywork and paint sure discloses a lot of the past and about hidden problems. That led to going to a Technical College and learning how to weld, heat shrink, filler work, priming, blocking, panel fit, and paint spraying. I had to replace the left front fender, reskin the driver’s door, and put patch panels over the tires in the rear quarters from what appeared to be prior contact with a guard rail and from tires too wide for the wheel wells. The rest of the sheet metal is original except for 3 spots about the size of a dime that had rust damage. Yes, I chose black for the very first paint job I was doing. Thankfully I had a good teacher who made me redo the drivers rear quarter eight times! The paint is not perfect but looks as good as the $12.000.00 I spent in body and paint work on my 68 Corvette.
I have found that I really enjoy working on cars that I do not really need to have running at any given point in time. Every part of every project seems to have unexpected complications and I can just walk away from the project until I figure it out. Sometimes I find the answers in dreams or they just suddenly seem to have clear solutions and I can pick up where I left off. Talk about satisfaction when you learn something new through this process. Did I mention I had to redo the driver’s side rear quarter about 8 times to get it to the point I was satisfied? Hehehehehe. Now that was a record for redo’s on the car but certainly not the first and I suspect not the last!
I believe in driving my cars and the drag strip certainly tests the accuracy of the work and components chosen. 11.90 at 118.46 MPH on the first trip to the track on the 18 inch wheels with Goodyear Eagle tires.
Salee Chevrolet builds crate motor but Tom Salle is a real gearhead and allowed me to change several components on their “Ultimate 502” to be atrue street engine. They were a pleasure to work with too and I drove to pick up the motor. Tom met me on a Saturday morning to talk motors and to show me their engine building facilities. I was introduced to the mechanic who actually built the motor! The Sallee Chevrolet “crate” motor specs:
- Idle Speed: 650 RPM
- Vacuum at idle: 13.3 inches
- Max. Rec. RPM: 6,000 RPM
- Comp. Ratio: 9.6:1
- Block: GM P/N 10237292, Cast Iron, Four Bolt Main
- Crankshaft: Scat 4130 Forged Steel, Stress Relieved & Shot Peened, Special Heat Treatment
- Connecting Rods: Manley Sportsmaster
- Pistons: SRP P/N 139518 Forged, 4032 High Silicon Alloy For Tighter Piston To Wall Clearance, Floating Pin, Smooth Dome & Radius Valve Relief
- Piston Rings: SRP P/N J100F8-4470-5, File Fit
- Camshaft: Crane P/N 168761, Hyd. Roller, Lift (.598" I, .610" E), Duration @ .050" (230° I, 236° E)
- Timing Chain: GM P/N 12371053, HD Roller Design
- Lifters: Crane P/N 16535-16, Long Travel, Designed For High Lift Camshafts
- Cylinder Heads: Edelbrock/Chapman Victor JR., CNC, Oval Port, 112 cc Combustion Chambers
- Intake Valves: 2.25" Stainless Steel, 11/32 Stem
- Exhaust Valves: 1.90" Stainless Steel, 11/32"
- Valve Springs: Crane P/N 99896-16 Valve Springs, Dual Valve Springs
- Rocker Arms: Crower, Stainless Steel 1.7 Ratio
- Intake Manifold: Edelbrock, Air Gap
- Carburetor: Speed Demon, 850 CFM, Vacuum Secondaries, Fuel Line Kit P/N 140006
- Distributor: MSD P/N 85551 Billet, MSD 8252 Coil, Digital-6 Plus Ignition Control Box.
- Starter: GM P/N 9000852, Gear Reduction
- Water Pump: Long Edelbrock P/N 8851
- Spark Plugs: #4 Rapid Fire
- Plug Wires: 8 mm Red Plug Wires
- Fuel: 92 Octane
- Oil Pan: Moroso 6 Quart Pan
- Valve Cover: Fabricated Aluminum
- Damper: Fluidampr, 8" External Balance
- Dyno Tested: 605 Ft-Lbs @ 4500 RPM; 606 HP @ 5700 RPM
- Fasteners: ARP Head Bolts, Rocker Studs, and Intake Bolts.
Mike Hoover - Redrum
Previously Featured Chevelles & El Caminos
All features copyright, Team Chevelle
